Big welcome for The Berlin File means Montrealers will see more Korean films

South Korean director Ryoo Seung-Wan (C) poses with actors Ha Jung-Woo (L), Han Suk-Kyu (2nd L), Ryoo Seung-Beom (R) and actress Jun Ji-Hyun (2nd R) during a press conference to promote their film "The Berlin File" in Seoul on January 21, 2013. The Berlin File is about secret agents from South and North Korea who target each other in Berlin. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

The Berlin File, a South Korean espionage-action film, will soon begin its fifth week in Montreal. Of course, this is good news for the people who stand to profit from the film, but it’s also good news for Montreal film fans, because our enthusiastic response means that more Korean films will be coming our way, to which I can only say “Yay!”

I can’t claim to be an expert, but it seem to me that Korean films and filmmakers can do everything that U.S. films and filmmakers do, they just have to do it on a smaller budget.

It will be great to have more variety at the cineplex. Now we can learn (or learn more) about Korean stars and auteurs.

In the video below, (courtesy of Ciné-Asie) actor ‪Han Suk-kyu ‬sends greetings to Montrealers. (The film is playing in about 26 cities in North America, but video greetings were only made for us, here in Montreal.)

In The Berlin File, he is a harried South Korean spy, trying to find a ruthless killer. There are several chases, fistfights, gunplay and all that. So he’s kind of stressed out, you know? But in this video, he looks quite happy and relaxed. Younger even.

Note that he says he has never been to Montreal. I think maybe he’d like an invitation. Too bad our local film festivals don’t have the mega-budgets to bring people like ‪Han Suk-kyu‬ over for a visit.

If you are already a Korean film fan you might have seen ‪Han Suk-kyu‬ in The Gingko Bed, Green Fish, Christmas in August, Tell Me Something, Forbidden Quest, or Eye for an Eye. He was in one of Korea’s big hits, Shiri, (sometimes spelled Swiri) which is also a North/South espionage story. Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho were in it too, which further makes it worth seeking out.

The Berlin File is showing at Cineplex Odeon Forum. (You can read my review of The Berlin File here.) There are some very enthusiastic reviews of The Berlin File from local viewers at a site called cinemamontreal.com This blog post includes a video greeting from the director of The Berlin File, Ryoo Seung-wan.

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Big welcome for The Berlin File means Montrealers will see more Korean films

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